The Desert INvites a journey withIN

On By Michele LeeIn Arizona Adventures, nature, Verse
The desert does not invite
leisurely hand holding
or carefree play, or bare feet splashing.
Too many things that can poke
an eye or peel back the skin.
Those walking in the desert
must listen, pay close attention,
and step with care.
No orange or red leaves
to kick, crunch, or dive into.
No soft grass to fall onto,
where lovers lay and love –
staring into eyes or shapes
floating in the everchanging sky.
Not a lover’s landscape,
but an invitation to journey within
that does not plead or beg
for this unearthed union.

I will go my way,
slow and meditative.
You go your way,
fast and intended.
Much life to see in each living shrubby tree.
Much ground to cover in this vast open land.
Walking in divine nature,
honoring our true natures.
Aligned with higher self,
our spirits will be,
when we meet again
in the middle of the road,
next to this prickly tree.

Images can be enlarged in new tab (click here).

I have been enjoying autumn scenes from bloggers across the northern hemisphere, especially since I am not in the Pacific Northwest like I was this time last year. Thank you to those who have shared your dreamy season scenes. I do not have falling leaves to share, but I can offer you autumn images from the sunny southwest from our Sunday midmorning stroll. My husband had much ground to cover and I had things to discover and capture, both (with)out and within. The desert is greener than it has been due to actual monsoon storms this year, however, I was surprised by the lack of wildlife – no roadrunner to chase. 😞 If you are not familiar with my music selection, Desert Dwellers, give them a listen. They are quite entertaining in person! 🎶💃🏼 Thank you for visiting, reading, and listening. Be well. 💗 Michele

If you are new here and you enjoy photos and poems featuring the Sonoran Southwest, here are two more posts for your prickly entertainment:

“Spirit of the Land” and “Tumbleweed Spirit“

Photos: My images

© 2021 Michele Lee Sefton

53 thoughts on “The Desert INvites a journey withIN”

    1. Thank you, Timothy. 🌵 The SW has color changes too… light brown, brown, dark brown. haha The high desert is beautiful. Every place has unique beauty to share – earth’s tapestry. Some places also have more than their share of thorns. 🙃

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  3. As a guest of the desert, your steps through sand within such a beautiful landscape, to mediate and experience a heightened state of perception, seems like a truly splendid Sunday venue. So too, your shared poetic prose and lovely photographs. The first shot seems to me the quintessential southwestern desert landscape. Wonderful! I’m also especially fond of the second (black and white) close-up, and the final mighty saguaro cactus capture. You rock, Michele. ✍🏼📷🌞🌵

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    1. Oh my, did you find an untapped underwater spring flowing with words? You might need to use some of the spring water to take a chill pill, Phil. 😂 Laughing, at your expense. Sorry, I could not resist. I believe you’re a good sport. Guess I am soon to find out. 😄 Joking aside, thank you for your gushing compliments. The Sunday venue was made possible (for me) by temps that are finally below triple digits. As for desert photography – there are certain plants that lend themselves to B&W – when the contrast can be most noticed and appreciated (in my opinion). I don’t know if I rock, but I do step on rocks, leap over rocks, and sometimes sit on rocks. 🤣 Thank you, good sport! 😎

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      1. Yes, a geyser of words discovered adjacent to the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine! 😆 That is fine. We have laughed together before, and I suspect it shall be so, again. 😂🤪 As per your delineation between rock and rocky, whichever most closely approximates the goodness of your spirit, the kindness in your heart, and the beauty emanating from both physical appearance and of the actions you convey, either way, you are a star. ⭐✨ OK, Michele, I’ll chill. Starting…now! 😎 Oh, wait. Your poetry was wonderful, of which I especially enjoyed the last five lines. OK, now.

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      2. You know, many explorers have gone searching for gold in them their hills, never to return. Be careful where you search and what you swallow. Oh, and where you step! You really are gushing, Phil. 😲 Where is that spring located? I need to bottle and sale that! It is either a truth serum or it’s laced with BS. Won’t know till I drink some. 🤣 Thank you. Too kind and too much fun (for me).

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      3. The water I’m drinking contains only the truth, no BS. You’re very kind, Michele, and I do enjoy your sense of humor! I hear you, regarding the hills. I’ve been in the desert near Phoenix a few times, and twice heard – but never saw – rattlesnakes. Yikes! And, I do think any underground spring discovered in the desert may be worth more than gold!

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  5. I loved journeying through the desert landscape with you and truly enjoyed how you related the journey within to the various elements strewn on a desert path. I also loved how you talked about the journey is different for each. Truly a beautiful read!

    that does not plead or beg
    for this unearthed union.

    I especially marvelled at these lines 🙂

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    1. Truly a thoughtful comment. Thank you. 🙏🏻 Other than thunderous monsoons that seem to be more rare each year, or howling coyotes, the desert presents itself in a whisper to me. I appreciate you sharing the lines that represent this idea. I believe one must listen (and walk) carefully to appreciate what the landscape offers. 🌞 🌵🐍 Which is nothing enjoyable in the summertime, in my opinion. 😂

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  7. What??? No roadrunners? You think the coyote finally got em??? 🙀 🤣🤭

    Michele, this is simply an amazing self-reflection with nature. 🤗 So often, we immerse ourselves with the image of “the hills are alive with the sound of music” type of romance, but if we simply look we can find that treasured beauty in the desert as well, just in a different zone, setting, and climate. Nature offers so many variations of the beauty she emits and yes ma’am, we find our true nature with the desert’s divine nature, if we stop and look at it. 🌵🏜🦊

    Beautiful, heart-warming poem my dear. PLUS, you KNOW I love that selection by the Desert Dwellers! 🎵🎼🎶 Yes girlfriend, my hips are moving in my chair as we speak!!! LOL 💃🏽🎉🥁🎊🤩

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    1. No roadrunners. Too bad. They make my day when spotted. Not when they are spotted, but when I spot them. 😆 Yes, nature offers many gifts and a quiet Sunday stroll… walking, reflecting, and capturing nature through my lens is grounding, restorative, and inspiring. ✨ I love DD! I went to a show preCovid. Danceable tunes. 💃🏼 I was up late with a young energetic crowd. Fun! 💖 Keep moving those hips!😁

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      1. Don’t worry about your desert pals, they’ll be back and you will capture them perfectly behind your lens girlfriend! 📷 That will lend more inspiration for you to write about, “The Return of the Roadrunners!” 🏜🏃🏽‍♀️🌵

        Oh and girl, don’t worry about moving these hips…they have music sensors in them!!! That reminds me of the movie Madagascar, where they are dancing to the song “I Like to Move It!” 🦒🦁🦛 Yeah baby!!!

        Have a FUN and FANtabulous evening sweetie pie!!! ☕🌝🌟

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      3. You are very resourceful my dancing machine partna’! 🥳😎🥰 You’ll catch up with one of those rascals one day soon, just when you least expect it! Be camera ready Dawlink! 📸🌵🏜️ Smooches 💋😘💋

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  9. Whenever you write about the dessert, I sit up a little taller and am always eager…I love the contrast you create between other geographies and the dessert. For those that have lived in the dessert know that it has its own unique and blissful energy and wonder. I love this poem, Michele. 💝🥰

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    1. Dessert is good too.😆 I spend more time in the desert than I do with dessert though. 😜Too bad! I believe writers and poets are sensitive to their surroundings, wherever they may be. In the desert, in the dessert line, on the beach, in the trees… I am sure you agree. 😄 Thank you for sitting up a little taller and appreciating my desert posts. Your back thanks you too. 😉 Best to you, Jeff. 💖

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      1. Hahahahahaha! That’s so funny. I absolutely adore that I continued to write dessert repeatedly. 😂Wonder where my mind is – on the cookies in the freezer!! 🍪🍪 And, you played with it like a true expert and good friend. Well done! And, my back was super appreciate of this poem for the record. 💝

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  16. Fall colors are in full burst in Virginia, but nothing is more robust and autumnal than stepping out and experiencing the land. Where the desert does not color itself in foliage, it colors itself within.
    Thank you for sharing your reflections, Michele! I especially love the concrete anchor in the last line.

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    1. Sounds delightful, Jaya. So true, wherever that land may be. 🌄 I believe you just created a tag line for the desert! I may have to use it. 😁 Thank you for reading and offering your always engaging feedback. Enjoy the colors, outside and within. ✨

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    1. Thank you, Cindy. The desert continues to teach me many things, including patience (in the summertime). Planes help when I run out of patience! 😂 It is a nice place to visit (in the winter). 🌵 Have a wonderful weekend. 💖

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  20. Pingback: The Desert INvites a journey withIN by Michele Lee – Gobblers / Masticadores // Editores: Manuela Timofte / j re crivello

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